Sparkill, N.Y. - The St. Thomas Aquinas College Women's Basketball team picked up its third straight victory, besting D'Youville University, 63-54 on Sunday afternoon at Aquinas Hall.

STAC improves to 8-2 and 3-1 in the ECC, while D'Youville falls to 2-6 and 1-3.

Sarah Ericson led the way for the Spartans, recording 21 points and 15 rebounds, while Erin Leary (24 points) also scored in double-figures.

STAC shot 35.0 percent from the field (21-60), while D'Youville shot 31.9 percent (22-69) from the floor.

STAC NOTES AND HIGHLIGHTS:

• Seven different Spartans recorded double-digit minutes in the contest. 
• Sarah Ericson led STAC with three assists on the afternoon.
• Ericson made 7 of her 13 field goal attempts, with 5 of 6 coming from behind the arc. Meanwhile, Erin Leary went 7-of-15 from the floor and 8 for 10 from the free-throw line.
• STAC out rebounded D'Youville 45-42 through 40 minutes of action, with Sarah Ericson posting a game-high 15 boards for the maroon and gold.
• St. Thomas Aquinas picked up five steals in the contest, with D'Youville turning the ball over on 15 separate occasions.
• The Spartans earned advantages in three team statistical categories over the Saints: Points off of Turnovers (11-5), Points in the Paint (24-20) and Fastbreak Points (2-0).
• The game featured five ties and five lead changes.

HOW IT HAPPENED:

• D'Youville opened the festivities with a three-pointer, before Erin Leary ripped off five consecutive points to put the Spartans ahead 5-3.
• The teams matched each other shot for shot for a large stretch of the first quarter, with the visiting Saint extending their lead by as much as nine (21-12).
• STAC would get a clutch trey from Sarah Ericson, followed by a Kaitlyn Watrobski free-throw to cut the deficit to 21-16 by the end of the stanza.
• An early lay-up by D'Youville extended its lead to 23-16, but a 7-0 run by St. Thomas Aquinas tied things at 23-23 with 6:25 to play before halftime.
• However a 5-0 streak by the Saints put them back on top 28-23.
• Battling to climb back into the contest once again, STAC scored eight of the final 13 points before the buzzer to only trail by two, 33-31 at the break.
• Erin Leary paced the Spartans offense with 10 first-half points, while Brianne Moxley posted 10 points of her own for the Saints.
• Following the intermission, the trio of Erin Leary (5pts), Sarah Ericson (10pts) and Angelique Holguin (2pts) flipped the scoreboard in favor of the Spartans with 17 points to the Saints five over a five minute span to take a 10-point lead, 48-38.
• A quick timeout by D'Youville would see them then score four straight points to end the third quarter, but STAC remained in the lead 48-42.
• In the final stanza, the visitors kept things close, getting within three points (51-48) with six and a half minutes left in regulation. 
• Free throws were key to the Spartans closing out the game and holding off a potential rally from the Saints. Erin Leary went 7-for-8 from the charity stripe down the stretch, with Kaitlyn Watrobski sinking 3-of-4 foul shots as well to pull out the nine-point ECC win.

UP NEXT:

St. Thomas Aquinas College visits Bloomfield College on Friday, December 16 with tip-off between the Spartans and Bears set for 5:30 p.m.